1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to interactive video game play. More specifically, the present invention relates to observing the actions of other game players with respect to their interaction with certain objects or objectives in a game environment in an attempt for the observer or spectator to become more adept in their interaction with those same objects or with respect to the same objectives.
2. Description of the Related Art
Early video game play involved two-dimensional game environments where characters under the control of a game player were stationary or had severely limited motion. For example, 1978's “Space Invaders” was a two-dimensional shooter game in which the game player controlled a laser cannon that moved horizontally across the bottom of the screen while firing at five rows of descending aliens that moved horizontally back and forth across the screen. Later games such as “Asteroids” in 1979 used vector graphics in a two-dimensional space that wrapped around both screen axes. The game player navigated a spaceship in an asteroid field while shooting and destroying asteroids and flying saucers.
The evolution of video games continued with control devices that provided for multiple inputs. For example, while “Space Invaders” and “Asteroids” only required a joystick and ‘fire’ button, the 1983 introduction of the Nintendo Entertainment System saw a controller with directional control, two ‘input’ buttons (‘A’ and ‘B’) as well as ‘start’ and ‘select’ keys. Commands that were made up of combinations of control input (e.g., simultaneously providing directional input while pressing an input button) also became common. The 1988 Sega Genesis included a controller with directional control and three input buttons, which was soon follows by a version with six input buttons.
Development of three-dimensional game environments, the rise of the first-person shooter genre, increased options for game player directional and input control, and the unmatched processing and graphics power offered by modern day game platforms such as the PlayStation3® from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. have made game play increasingly complex. Game players no longer simply move left-to-right and point-and-shoot in a two-dimensional game environment. Modern day game play environments require a game player to directionally control a game character along the X, Y, and Z axis; manage the jumping, ducking, and crawling of that character; manage the selection of any number of objects that the character might be carrying; control the use of those objects; and attempt to achieve any number of goals or objectives in the game environment, which may include acquisition of additional objects, arrival at checkpoints, and/or combat with other characters.
Selecting and managing an object while on the run and under attack may prove incredibly difficult to even the most experienced game players. In a multi-player game environment (for example, a networked game environment), the inability to successfully manage objects possessed by a game character may lead to early elimination of a game player in combat or in an effort to otherwise achieve certain objectives. Continued failure may discourage the game player from continued game play with respect to a particular title, purchasing other games in a particular genre, or from engaging in use of a particular game platform altogether. There is, therefore, a need for assisting a game player with selection and management of objects and accomplishing objectives in an interactive game environment.